


I See Only You

by massuneko



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - No Band, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Death Leo, M/M, Priest Ravi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 02:39:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17296178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/massuneko/pseuds/massuneko
Summary: It was at that village when Father Ravi first met Death, with his silver hair, piercing eyes, and all-black clothes that were too gaudy for a funeral.





	I See Only You

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Scentist ~Possession~ wardrobe and Taekwoon's role as Der Tod in Elizabeth.

Ravi’s new assignment wasn’t really far from the city, but it was a quiet village still. He didn’t really mind about it—he came from a small village anyway—but the rumors that surrounded that village did tickle his interest. It was said that they only assigned young priests there, since the old ones were… haunted, to their death. By what, no one was really sure, but it seemed that the young ones weren’t affected.

That’s why they always assigned a new, younger priest every a few years. They couldn’t afford losing more priests when there weren’t many of them to begin with.

The head of the nuns greeted him at the church, showing him his assigned room so he could put down his stuffs and had a look around. She told him all the important things, such as the local rules and traditions, and he listened closely to everything.

“If I may ask, how old are you, Father?” she asked as they walked to the local cemetery, since Ravi wanted to give his respect to those who came and left before him.

“Currently, 25 years old,” replied Ravi lightly. She nodded at his answer.

“It seems that you can stay with us for a long time, then,” she said with a warm smile.

“Pardon me, Sister, but honestly I don’t believe in those rumors. I do believe in the existence of souls and in the Holy Spirit, but I don’t believe in ghosts,” said Ravi firmly. She chuckled at his seriousness, shaking her head a little.

“Oh, Father, no. I don’t believe in ghosts too, but the one haunting those priests are no ghosts,” she replied.

“Then what is it?” asked Ravi, curious. She smiled, solemnly, and looked at him with unwavered gaze.

“Death. The Death itself haunts them, Father,” she answered. Ravi frowned at that, but before he could debate it, she pointed out that they had arrived at the cemetery.

By the time they finished giving their respect, the sun had sunk to the horizon and their earlier talk was never continued.

* * *

Just like all his first nights at a new place, Ravi couldn’t sleep at all. Being a priest, the one way he knew for sure to ease down his restlessness was to pray. He tried to pray in his room, but it didn’t quite work. After some pondering, he put on his coat and took the oil lamp before setting off to the church.

As he expected from a church at midnight, he found no one inside. He picked a spot at the frontmost row and put down the oil lamp on the floor. He knelt, clasping his hands and turned his head down. But before he closed his eyes and prayed, he saw a shadow on his side and he instinctively looked up.

Standing up in the middle of the aisle was a tall man with silver hair. He was staring up at the cross behind the altar, his gaze cold and piercing. For a moment, Ravi wondered how he could miss such attractive man when he scoured the room, but he quickly dismissed it as him being inattentive as always.

“Would you like to pray together?” offered Ravi without any hesitation. The mysterious man turned to him with wide eyes, as if he had just seen a ghost. Ravi thought that he’s probably not the only inattentive one.

“Interesting,” the man spoke, voice as light as air and as sweet as honey, “This is very interesting. You are still very young, and yet you can see me.”

“Do I have to be old to be able to see you? I mean, you look quite young yourself,” asked Ravi dumbly, frowning deeply. The man chuckled at that, his pearly white teeth showing up.

“Outer appearance can deceive you, Child. And yes, usually only old people can see me, for they are only a few steps away from Death,” replied the man lightly.

“Are you implying that you’re Death?” asked Ravi again, this time with a very, very judging frown.

“I am saying that I am indeed Death,” replied the man.

Ravi raised an eyebrow and held their gaze for a few seconds before he turned with a heavy sigh.

“Well, suit yourself, Death. I’m going to pray, and you can join me if you want,” said Ravi nonchalantly as he clasped his hands again and turned his head down. He thought that the man must be mental, and he prayed for him to be given a peace of mind or even a cure if God allowed it.

When Ravi finished his prayers and looked around again, the man was already gone.

* * *

It was at the funeral when Ravi spotted that weird man again, standing close to the weeping widow, holding her waist and whispering something to her. Ravi narrowed his eyes at the man’s getup, something much too fancy and glimmering for a sad event like funeral, but he gave him a pass since it was all-black anyway.

Still, he was curious, since he heard that the couple didn’t have any child, but his gesture was too intimate for him to be other than her own son. Without taking off his gaze from the pair, Ravi leant to whisper at one of the nuns.

“Sister, do you know who that man was? The one standing next to the lady?” asked Ravi. She took a glance at the general direction of Ravi’s gaze and nodded.

“That is her brother-in-law, have you forgotten him? We greeted him just before the ceremony began,” she replied.

“No, no, Sister, of course I remember her brother-in-law. I mean the man who stands right next to her, with his hand around her waist, talking about something to her. He has silver hair and wearing some gaudy clothes,” said Ravi. The nun frowned at his description and looked to the widow again, then turned with a concerned look on her face.

“Father, there is no such person there,” she said firmly.

“But, Sister—”

“Perhaps you are tired. I’ll make you some warm tea,” she cut him before standing up and left her seat, leaving the surprised Ravi alone. He saw how she talked to the Head Nun and both looked at him with concerned look before exiting the room, making him frowned in confusion.

When he turned back his attention towards the mourning family, the mysterious man was already gone.

Ravi thought that the nun was probably right; he was tired.

* * *

The widow had fallen really ill in the following week—the grief of her husband’s passing was too much for an old woman like her to handle. Ravi was requested to give her the Anointment for the Sick in her house, since she couldn’t even leave the bed. After packing all the stuffs he would need, Ravi visited her and her whole family.

There weren’t too many people there, only her younger sister and brother-in-law, along with her two nieces and one nephew. They stood around her bed, but all gave their way when Ravi approached her. She looked pale and in pain, and Ravi hoped that the Anointment could give her a little peace of mind.

He carried on the ritual by the book, blessing her and forgave her sins in the name of God. The widow looked more peaceful as the time went, and Ravi smiled a little in relieve.

But just after he finished the ritual and raised his gaze, he saw someone he didn’t expect to see. The gaudy clothes were the same like he wore in her husband’s funeral, and his silver hair was still as striking as ever. His gaze, though, were gentle and warm, unlike the time when they first met that fateful night.

Before Ravi could raise any question or comment, the man leaned down and kissed her tenderly, like a lover who didn’t want to disturb his beloved’s sleep. It made Ravi froze at his place, eyes widening in shock until the mysterious man stood up straight again.

And when he did, she took a sharp breath, then exhaled softly until there was nothing more.

Her family members quickly surrounded her, pushing Ravi back as he continued staring at the mysterious man. How did he get in? The old door of that bedroom was so rusty it would creak like some wailing beast when it’s opened, but he heard nothing sort of that since he arrived, and he was _very_ sure that the silver-haired man was nowhere inside that room before.

He just kept on staring as questions rushed in his head, as the man turned away and walked towards the door. No one else seemed to notice his presence, as if he was just a smoke.

And, just like smoke, he disappeared into thin air once he reached the bedroom’s door.

* * *

The scene was like a déjà vu to Ravi, with the silver-haired man standing in the middle of the aisle and Ravi himself kneeling at the seat beside him. And just like the last time, Ravi raised a question, although it was a different one from before.

“So, you really are Death?” he asked. The man turned his head to Ravi, and the priest added, “I saw you at the widow’s house this morning.”

A smile bloomed on his beautiful face, turning his eyes crescents.

“Yes, Child. I am Death,” he replied as he fully turned towards Ravi. From his back, three pairs of black wings sprouted out, spreading majestically. Ravi stared at him in awe, jaw going slack.

“Oh, you have wings,” commented Ravi. He then scrunched his eyebrows, thinking hard, and asked, “So are you… The Angel of Death? Azrael, maybe? But you have six wings so maybe one of the Archangels, Michael or Gabriel?”

“No, not an Angel. I’m just Death,” replied Death with a frown.

“Ah, so, like Thanatos?” Ravi tried again.

“No, not really,” Death shook his head.

“Mot, then? It’s probably Mot,” guessed Ravi again, looking a bit too excited for someone who was facing Death in person.

“No, I’ve told you—”

“Ah, then, Osiris? Are the Egyptians right after all?” asked Ravi again. Death rolled his eyes. This was the first time he met such a cheeky human. Well, he had been around since forever, so he probably had met one like this weird priest, but it had been an eternity ago he’d forgotten everything.

“You know what? Whatever. Give me whatever name you human likes. But, as I said before, I am Death. Just Death,” said Death firmly. Ravi shrugged at that.

“Okay then, Leo,” replied Ravi nonchalantly. Death narrowed his eyes judgingly at him. “What? You said ‘whatever’, right? My little sister has a grey tabby cat with puffy cheeks and mean look like you. But he’s a clingy one. I miss him, I guess.”

“And I’m not your cat,” commented Death flatly.

“I know, you’re Death. But I’ll call you ‘Leo’ because you remind me of my sister’s cat,” explained Ravi, far too casually. Death sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Brat,” he muttered under his breath. “Fine. Leo. I’ll take that name,” he said as he folded his wings back, pouting and glaring at the cheeky human.

“Now, Leo the Death, would you pray along with me?” offered Ravi with a gentle smile. It took a while before Leo nodded, and Ravi quickly scooted away so that he could kneel down beside him.

Both of them turned their head down, and Ravi whispered the prayers for both of them.

* * *

Life went on for Ravi as usual—nothing much changed since his talk with Death he named Leo that night. He still saw Leo from time to time, usually lingering at the house of the soon-deceased ones. His presence gave Ravi enough hint to prepare for Anointment, or just a simple reminder for a Confession. He knew that he couldn’t stop people from dying, so at the very least he wanted to make sure that they were mostly forgiven from their sins before they departed.

Sometimes, when he met Leo at the church, he’d ask which person he’d take this time. Leo never answered him, but it was always an easy guess.

Ravi saw Leo kissing people to their death numerous times, and one time he was too curious not to ask. Leo answered him this time, explaining that it’s his ritual, his power to take the living’s souls with a touch of their lips. He also explained further that he was supposedly only seen by people who were close to the end of their lives, so Ravi was a very rare case.

“If they can see you because they are dying, that means they can see you when you kiss them?” asked Ravi. Leo nodded at that. “And they let some stranger kiss them, just like that?” he asked again.

“You might say that I look like your sister’s beloved cat, but to other people, I appear differently. You see, so that they won’t push me away when I’m taking their life away, I appear as the person they love the most in this world,” explained Leo.

“So… When my time comes, you’ll probably appear to me as… my mother? Or maybe my sister?” asked Ravi.

“Or your lifetime crush, I don’t know,” quipped Leo with a shrug. Ravi snorted loudly at that.

“Leo, I don’t have a crush! Otherwise I won’t be a priest,” replied Ravi with a chuckle. Leo only smiled fondly at him.

“We’ll never know, Child. We’ll never know.”

* * *

The outbreak that had spreaded out to the neighbouring village had finally reached theirs, and the church started opening their doors for the patients who had no one to take care of them. It was a gloomy time, but they still tried their best for everyone in that village. Some stronger ones managed to overcome their illness, but many more succumbed. Ravi saw how Leo lingered at the church, giving the last kisses to the people there.

“Are you not going to tell me to go away?” asked Leo one time, when everyone had fallen asleep, leaving Ravi to pray alone.

“A lot of people die here, so it’s only natural that you’re staying here. I’m not going to chase you away,” replied Ravi.

“But don’t you wish for the sick to be cured? For them not to die? For me not to give them The Kiss?” asked Leo again. Ravi sighed deeply, looking up at the statue of Jesus hanging on his cross behind the altar.

“Father, if Thou wilt, take away this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done,” recited Ravi. “Humans will always pray for their suffering to pass, but we can’t deny whatever God has for us. His will, no matter how cruel it was to us mortals, is the fruit of His love to us. We just have to accept and learn from it,” he added quietly.

“Aren’t you just being too pessimistic now?” asked Leo. Ravi shook his head.

“I’m merely a Servant of God. If God wills those people to be healed, I’ll be very thankful for that. But if He wills for them to return to Him, to receive your Kiss, then I’ll pray for their souls to be at peace,” replied Ravi with a gentle smile.

There was pain in his eyes, and Leo realized that he was currently drinking from that cup as well, not just those sick people.

“Then, Child, would you pray with me?” asked Leo as he kneeled down at the space Ravi reserved for him. Ravi grinned widely and nodded, watching as the Death clasped his hands and turned down his head.

“You lead the prayer; I know none,” whispered Leo softly. Ravi chuckled at that, before starting their prayer.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed in Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven—”

* * *

It was something that was deemed to happen as soon as the church started accepting the sick ones within their shelter; Ravi himself had finally succumbed to the illness. The constant exposure to the patients, combined with the fatigue from taking care and praying for them, finally took a toll on his body. At the early stage, he still refused to rest, and continued with his service. But eventually, it became hard to move around, or even to get up from his bed. Only then he agreed to rest, for his body no longer allowed him to move around freely.

Although he hadn’t been there for a very long time yet, people still came to visit him, praying for him who had prayed for them before. His room was never quiet, always filled with visitors who came and went, voicing their hope for the young priest to be healed quickly.

But among the people he met, the faces he saw, not once he saw Leo. He thought how funny that was, for him to be able to see Death when he was completely healthy but ceased to see him when he was sick.

Leo probably had been around, Ravi thought, only not in the form he usually saw.

With that thought in mind, he fell into peaceful slumber.

* * *

“Never once I imagined that I will be giving Anointment for the Sick to my own friend,” commented Father Ken when he arrived at Ravi’s room. He had been assigned there to replace Ravi, as well as to look after him in his last moments. They had been best friends during their study in the Seminary, before they graduated and assigned to different places.

“And I thought our handsome Father Ken will be serving in the big city again, not some village like this,” joked Ravi. Ken made a face at him, and Ravi chuckled at that.

“I’d like to remind you that we are _not_ allowed to pick our own assignments, and that you should be thankful that they send _me_ , your most beloved and benevolent friend, to take care of you, ungrateful brat,” said Ken with slightly raised voice. Ravi chuckled again at him, muttering ‘cute’ under his breath.

“Thank you for coming here,” said Ravi, this time more solemnly.

“That’s a lot better. And you’re welcome,” replied Ken with a smile.

Ravi let Ken did his job, feeling like they were back at the Seminary, practicing for all the services they would be required to do. At that time, they took turns playing pretend to be the sick one, and most of the times they acted out like the Anointment miraculously cured them like how Jesus cured sick people just by touching them in the bible, and then they’d started singing ‘Hallelujah’ theatrically until someone told them to shut up.

But this time, they realize that there was no such miracle. Ravi still felt weak, still felt like his whole body was burning. His life was no biblical passage and Ken was no Jesus. Still, Ken’s gentle touch and his firm grasp on Ravi’s hand were enough to bring him peace.

Once Ken was done, a nun entered the room and notified him that there were a few more patients waiting for their turn. He gave Ravi one last firm grasp before exiting the room, continuing his service. Ravi waved to him before the door was closed, then he dropped his hand and stared at the ceiling.

“Father, if Thou wilt, take away this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done,” whispered Ravi softly. Then, he heard the sound of rustling feathers, and he turned his head to the source of that sound.

Standing beside him with all-black clothes that were too gaudy for a funeral and three pairs of black wings spreaded out gloriously was no other than Leo the Death. He was staring down at him with those piercing silver-like eyes, the pair of eyes that looked warm despite the freezing cold color.

“Is it the time for me to get your Kiss?” asked Ravi with a playful smile on his lips. Leo nodded slowly before he knelt beside the bed, leveling their sights.

“Do you know what’s funny, Leo? I thought I would be seeing my mother or my sister, but… You’re just, you. From the first time I saw you, until this very moment, it’s still the same you,” said Ravi with a small frown. Leo only smiled at him, the gentlest one Ravi had ever seen, and for a moment Ravi felt his heart throbbed more quickly than usual.

“Have you prayed for the peace of your soul, Child?” asked Leo. Ravi nodded slowly.

“And for your soul too, my dear friend,” he replied.

“I have no soul,” quipped Leo. Ravi’s smile only became wider.

“I know. I’ve always known; I just refused to admit that I know,” replied Ravi.

“And even if you know, you still name me after your sister’s cat?” teased Leo. Ravi chuckled at that.

“Both of you have the same name; don’t blame me,” he answered.

With that answer, Leo cupped Ravi’s cheek, and leaned forward to kiss him for the first and last time.

When the Death pulled back, a black veil was covering his face, for he had never actually had one.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried out that "write in Comic Sans" advice and??? It actually works??? I'm shooketh.


End file.
